Admiral DON Angela Jalloh Honored for Long-Term Care Leadership

Oct. 29, 2018LeadingAge has presented its Joan Anne McHugh Award for Leadership in Long-Term Services and Supports Nursing to Angela Jalloh, RN, The Admiral at the Lake‘s Director of Nursing. As DON, Angela oversees nursing staff and resident care at The Harbors, the community’s skilled nursing and assisted living setting.

Angela received the award at LeadingAge’s annual national meeting and conference in Philadelphia Sunday, Oct. 28. In addition to the award, she will receive a $1,000 prize to be used for professional development at The Admiral.

Angela has earned a reputation for coaching, mentoring and educating team members so they feel accomplished and competent. She’s been credited with changing the employee culture at The Admiral by setting a high bar for staff achievement while, at the same time, offering to help team members meet or exceed that bar. She’s also modeled success in this area for other leadership team members.

“From the day Angela joined this community in March of 2017, her character, integrity, humor, grit and leadership have shined, and we are fortunate to have her as a member of this team,” Executive Director Nadia Geigler noted in a letter announcing the award to Admiral residents, staff and board members.

“My motivation is to shift the way nursing interacts with residents and to incorporate each resident’s preference, perspective, background and opinions into daily care,” Angela says.

The McHugh Leadership Award “recognizes a Director of Nursing or Assistant Director of Nursing who creates a supportive and engaged workplace environment by displaying excellent leadership skills while managing nursing and front-line staff.”

Angela is known for her willingness to support and make accommodation for any team member who is experiencing an emergency or going through a difficult time. That willingness has had an impact on retention rates, according to care partners who welcome ’s willingness to listen to their feedback, involve them in decision making and make changes to accommodate their needs.

Care partners describe Angela as someone with a caring and approachable character who doesn’t hesitate to jump in and share caregiving responsibilities when her team needs help. They praise Angela for involving them in care planning meetings, and for implementing a meal voucher program for team members who agree to cover an extra shift on their days off.

Angela has also succeeded in breaking down siloes at The Admiral by encouraging team members to support other departments by floating from one level of living to another when the need arises. Following this practice, The Admiral has not used agency staff, and its staffing has stabilized, since Angela became DON in 2017.

Angela has worked in many capacities in long-term care. While a certified nursing assistant (CNA), she began her nursing education, eventually becoming licensed as a practical nurse (LPN) and a registered nurse (RN) and then earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Before coming to The Admiral at the Lake, Angela served in another long-term care community for three years as Assistant Director of Nursing. She also worked as a college nursing instructor for two years.